Page 43 - Allotment Gardener Issue 1 2024

SPRING
NOTES
SOUTH WEST
Allotment Gardener | Issue 1 2024 | 43
Welcome to...
Bathford Parish Coouncil Broadclyst Parish Council Calstock Parish Council Chickerell Town Council Chulmleigh Allotment Association Great Torrington Town Council 6 Individuals Shapwick Allotment Association Ltd Shapwick Parish Council Somer Valley Harp Garden Community Group St Mary & St John Lamyatt PCC Tatnam Farm Allotment Association
What I like most about this time of year is the anticipation of a new growing season. The evenings are drawing out, there is warmth in the sun, the birds are making a noise and the weeds have started to grow.
Though we will soon be cursing them, the first dandelions and celandines provide a splash of colour to the late winter allotment and are a vital food source for early emerging insects. The first of my seedlings, onions, leeks and salad crops, sown
in heated propagators in January are growing-on under lights and potatoes will be chitting. I’m preparing the second sowing including tomatoes, cabbages, peas and broad beans, trying hard not to get ahead of myself or the weather. Where I live in mid-Devon, we can still have frosts in late May.
I’m trying out ‘Toddler F1’ tomatoes, which Kings think will eventually replace Gardener’s Delight. It will be interesting to see how they cope with blight. I’m also trying out tree spinach and strawberry sticks, two varieties of Chenopodium. I ordered the seeds through the Kings/NAS members online
ordering service. I got my order within a week. I have encouraged members of my local Allotment Association
to sign up and, at the time of writing, a third of the membership, 15 people, have set up an account and 5
orders have been placed. As I see it, everyone’s a winner
with this scheme; Kings costs are reduced, individual
members can order their seeds when they want and have
the order delivered directly to them, seed secretaries
have less work to do and the associations still get their discounts.
Your secretary will have received details about the scheme, which can also be found in the members section of the NAS website. Ask your committee to set up
an account and if they haven’t the time or expertise, volunteer to take it on. If you need some help, get in touch, I’d be happy to help.
So, here’s to a great growing year with just the right amount of sunshine and just the right amount of rain, all at just the right time.
Mark Joynes, SW Regional Rep
“here’s to a great growing year with just the right amount of sunshine
and just
the right amount of rain, all at just the right time.”